Rawdon Hall, ftill enjoyed by his father the Earl of Moira, in the following brief poetical deed, according to the custom of the times I William Kyng, the thurd yere of my reign, As truly as this Kyng right is myn; ART. XIII. Two ancient Scottish Poems; the Gaberlunzie-Man, and Christ's Kirk on the Green; with Notes and Obfervations. By John Callander, Efquire, of Craigforth. 8vo. 2s. 6d. Boards. Donaldfon. BOTH DOTH thefe curious fongs are attributed to James V. of Scotland. They are of the comic kind; and fhew the monarch to have been intimately acquainted with the scenes of vulgar life. It feems that he had a paffion for ftrolling about in difguife, and mixing with vagrants and the lower clafs of people. In his excurfions he fometimes met with odd adventures: and he diverted himfelf with writing ballads on the fubjects of them. The Gaberlunzie-Man records an adventure of this fort. The word is compounded of gaber, a wallet, and lunzie, loin; i. e. an itinerant mechanic, or tinker, who carries on his back the im plements of his trade. The pauky † auld carle came o'er the lee, Will zee ludge a filly poor man. The night was cauld, the carle was wat, And cadgily ranted and fang.' *A grant of an eftate in Devonshire was originally made by the celebrated John of Gaunt to a great family (viz. the Baffets of Heanton-Court) of that county, in a fimilar manner: I John of Gaunt Do freely give and grant, From me and mine, To thee and thine, The Barton-Fee This filly poor man proved to be a fly rogue, who ran off with the daughter in the night, and left the gudewife to deplore her credulity, and curfe the traitors. Chrift's Kirk on the Green is a defcription of a country wake, which began in mirth and dancing, and ended in more rude and boisterous amufements. Bishop Gibson published an edition of it in 1691, and illuftrated it with notes. Much, however, was left unexplained; and Mr. Callander hath undertaken to fupply the deficiencies, as well as correct the mistakes of the learned Bifhop. He appears to be deeply verfed in the Saxon language; though he runs too much into whimfical refinement and fpeculation, and makes things doubtful by his attempt to illuftrate them. This work is only published as a specimen of a larger and more important undertaking. If it fhould meet with the approbation of the learned, the Editor intends to favour the Public with a full collection of all the Scottish poems which appeared before the 17th century, illuftrated with notes in the manner of those which accompany the present work. In the Preface and Notes the learned Editor endeavours to eftablifh what he calls a fyftem of rational etymology: this confifts in deriving the words of every language from the radical founds of the firft, or original tongue, as it was spoken by Noah and the builders of Babel. Many of thofe are preferved, he thinks, in the feveral dialects now in ufe over this globe, and every day brings more of thofe roots to our knowledge, as we grow better acquainted with the languages fpoken by the several tribes of mankind. The Editor propofes to publish a large collection of these radical terms under the title of a Scoto-Gothic Gloffary. To relieve the Reader from the tedious uniformity of etymological difquifition, fome obfervations on the manners and cuftoms of the Scots in the middle ages are interfperfed, and will prove very entertaining to the curious. ART. XIV. Mifcellanies, by Mr. Pratt. Crown 8vo. 4 fewed. Becket. 1785. CONTENTS. Vols. 145. Vol. I. SYMPATHY, a Poem; revifed from the fixth Edition: cenfured and commended in the 65th volume of our Review. The Art of rifing on the Stage, a Poem;' in three Cantos: not deftitute of pleafantry.- Poems from the Annual Regifter.'- Poems from Liberal Opinions ;' one of our Author's earliest works, publifhed under the affumed name of Courtney Melmoth: See Rev. vols. 52, 55, and 56.• Poems from Emma Corbet; a work well fpoken of in Rev. vel. 63.- Prologues, Epilogues, Epitaphs,' and 'A Poem to the Prince of Wales;' to whom also this collection is dedicated. Vol II. Prize Poems, written for the Vafe at Bath-Easton.' Of the general merit of the Bath-Eafton poetry, we have frequently fpoken. Theron, a Tale;' and a confiderable number of Mifcellaneous Verfes.' School for Vanity, a Comedy, as reprefented at the Theatre-Royal in Drury Lane;' condemned [no fingular cafe] without a fair trial-but not with the unanimous affent of the house. The piece, certainly, merited an entire reprefentation, and an impartial hearing, on the first night, at least. Vol. III. confifts of Moral Tales,'-not improperly named, nor ill calculated for general entertainment, and the inftruction of young readers. Vol IV. Continuation of the Moral Tales;' with effays on various fubjects. : Of the merits of this lively but unfubftantial writer, we have already, on former occafions, delivered our opinion; an opinion not formed at random, nor taken up in hafte it was the cool decifion of deliberate, impartial examination.-A review of the prefent collection hath confirmed that decifion, and fully juftified the fentence we paffed-and paffed with reluctance, becaufe, in refpect of his private character, we have heard fo advantageous a report of Mr. Pratt, that we should, no doubt, very much esteem him as a man, whatever we might think of the Author. The copiousness and variety of the contents of these volumes are prools of the Author's facility of compofition; and when we take into the account his other numerous productions, we cannot but give him credit for that fertility of invention which is faid to endow fome poets with the happy talent of writing a thousand lines a day. The ornaments with which Mr. Pratt hath fet off his multifarious fubjects, whether in profe or verfe, will not fail to please the generality of readers; but to perfons of taste and judgment they will be lefs fatisfactory. They want fimplicity; they glitter with falfe fplendor: which may captivate at a diftance, but will offend, on a nearer inspection. Though a degree of infipidity and affectation are the prevailing characteristics of fome of this Author's performances, yet fingle paffages may frequently be extracted, that feem to indicate genius. But when thofe paffages are compared with others of a different ftamp, we are apt to wonder how they exift, and whence they proceed! Like the equivocal corrufcations that fometimes play upon the fkirts of night, they only ferve to make the furrounding darkness more visible. REV. Oct. 1786. U ART. ART. XV. A Poetic Epifle to a Curate. By Jofiah Thomas, A. B. 4to. 2s. 6d. Faulder. 1786. HIS is the natural effufion of an honeft and cultivated mind. Though the writer has the modefty to disclaim all expectation of diftinction as a poet, the following lines will give our Reader no unfavourable impreffion both of his genius and tafte: Retirement, hail!-thy hofpitable fhade, By blundering Pride injuriously pourtray'd, How would the Mufe th' immortal theme prolong, Sublime thy joys, however difavow'd By Instinct's herd, the profligate and proud. Though round thy bower no pompous buildings ftare; Within the sweet recefs Truth loves to dwell; "Holds her high converse with the mighty Dead.” • Retirement, hail! beneath thy fostering care From thee the POET-whofe illumin'd page . From thee the keen PHILOSOPHER-whose eye 'BLEST is his lot, from Vice, from Folly free, To him the clamour but one forrow brings, When Evening hovers, in her noiseless car, What time the Star, that bids the dews arife, There, while each paffion calm'd, and wish refin'd, The couplet, When evening hovers.' &c. in the above quo. tation, is highly poetical. The Author will, we hope, find fufficient inducement to perfevere in facrificing to the Mufes. ART. XVI. Ξενοφῶντα Απομνημονευμάτων βιβλια δ. ΧENOPHONTIS Memorabilium SOCRATIS Dictorum Libri 4. Recenfuit, Notis illuftravit, variifque Lectionibus auxit EDVARDUS EDWARDS, S. T. P. et non ita pridem Coll. Jefu Oxon. Socius. OXONII, è Typographeo Clarendoniano. Proftant apud J. Fletcher, &c. Sold by Rivington, London. 8vo. 6s. 1785. F Dr. Edwards, our Readers will not think unfavourably, on fubjects he was the correfpondent of Taylor, and the antagonist of Johnfon. That he deferved the friendship of the one, and was able to combat the arguments of the other, the edition of Xenophon, now offered to the Public, affords no inconfiderable proof. To the very learned and judicious Dr. Owen we are indebted for the Preface, the contents of which we fhall lay before our Readers. While Dr. Edwards was living, the Greek text and Latin tranflation were printed. The notes and various readings were committed to the care of his friend Dr. Owen, a little before his death. The notes are drawn from the manufcript papers U 2 of |